FMLA Family Leave is Important

I'm as non political as people come. I'm an old believer in "Raise 'em right and you need fewer laws." I suppose that comes from being brought up in California in the early fifties when it was leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone - Western idea based on lots of land and a cowboy's sense of independence. Edith's got the same idea.

But lately I've heard a lot about the Family Leave Act from my daughter, Katy, who says it's an important thing for parents in need of time away from work. She says it's abused like most things, but parents should know about it.

Recently, a dearly loved parent from the GS told me she was denied promotion because she had had a necessary surgery. If she had been on FMLA, she could not have been denied based on absence. She would have been protected under the law. She didn't know if she had been put on FMLA. Usually when someone goes on disability, they also go on FMLA. Check it out. And check out the laws regarding FMLA on the link posted under Government Links.

Here's an article I recieved as a news release. Don't know if I believe it, but I'm posting it anyway:


On Its 12th Anniversary,
Family & Medical Leave Act Is At Risk

DOL Changes and Next Supreme Court Justice
May Mean Fewer Americans Have Access to FMLA Protections

Washington, DC – “The Family & Medical Leave Act was a godsend,” according to one Atlanta-based mother who used the law to care for her teenage daughter, who was fighting a losing battle against cancer.

Since its enactment 12 years ago Friday, (August 5, 1993) more than 50 million working Americans have used the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to take job-protected leave to care for their loved ones or to recover from their own serious illnesses. As a result, fewer people have had to choose between their job and their family.

“The FMLA has been one of the most successful and popular laws in our nation’s history,” said Debra L. Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “It has meant that fewer people have had to make impossible choices when illness struck or babies were born. The FMLA has been good policy for employers and employees.”

However, the FMLA is under serious threat. Opponents of the law are pressuring the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to drastically scale back the scope of FMLA protections. The DOL is considering changes that could deny job-protected leave to nearly half those who currently benefit from the law. These proposals would deny many working Americans the benefits of job-protected leave by changing the definition of a serious illness and restricting the use of intermittent leave.

“Changes such as forcing employees to take unpaid leave in half-day increments would be devastating to America’s working families and would greatly diminish the impact of the law,” Ness noted. “Our leaders talk a lot about family values but, in truth, our workplace policies are badly out of sync with the realities of people’s lives – and families suffer as a result. The FMLA is one of the few laws that supports families.”

At the same time, the Senate decision on whether to confirm Judge John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court could have a dramatic impact on workers’ rights. Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that state employees could hold their state employers accountable for violating the FMLA. The next Justice could swing the Court’s opinion and deprive five million workers and their families of this important protection.

“Although the Family & Medical Leave Act was a tremendous step forward, millions of Americans cannot take the unpaid leave it provides because they can’t afford to miss a paycheck,” Ness said. “As we celebrate the 12th anniversary of this essential law, the Administration and Congress should be looking for ways to expand it so many more Americans can take the leave they need. We should be working together to improve the programs and policies that help America’s hard-working families, not scale back the few protections we currently have.”

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The National Partnership for Women & Families is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, quality health care and policies that help women and men create a balance between work and family responsibilities. The National Partnership conceived, drafted and championed the FMLA during the almost-decade-long fight to make it law.